Make It or Break It
by Ljiljana
Summary: Kakashi is an editor in a shonen manga magazine.  At the moment, he's working with two mangakas – Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki. They haven't quite met yet, but they are about to.
1. Chase and Challenge

**A/N: **This story is for Hikari_Shiroki. It was supposed to be a oneshot, one of those from 'oneshots on deadline' project. Once it hit 15,000 words and I didn't say half of that I had planed… Well. It stopped being a oneshot, that's for sure.

So this is Part one of that is now officially a MC.

Inspired by Bakuman, but doesn't have much in common with it, plot-wise.

* * *

**Make It or Break It**

Part I

Chase and Challenge

* * *

The music was good, but too quiet. Or, more accurately, the noise of hundreds of people talking was stifling it. The lights were too bright, and everything smelled vaguely of sandalwood or, closer to the buffet table, of some strange cheese. Sasuke had to avoid that side of the hall completely, which wasn't improving his mood.

All in all, it was a really dull, tiresome party. Just like every other work-related party he was forced to attend.

Kakashi had promised he would get to meet other mangakas, though. At least Sasuke would get something out of the party. There were a couple of people he'd wanted to check out and this evening was the perfect opportunity – not that any of them were a threat to him. They weren't.

But they had potential to be, one day. Especially this one guy.

"See? I told you it was going to be fun."

Instinctively, Sasuke accepted the drink Kakashi pushed into his hand. It was champagne, if the glass flute was any indication. But he had a chapter waiting to be finished later that evening, so alcohol wasn't even an option. Besides, he could tell just from the smell of it that it was of poor quality.

He glared at Kakashi, "I'm not here to have fun. I'm here because you promised me that the author of 'Whirlwind' was going to be here."

"Ah, yes. I saw Naruto a few minutes ago, he definitely came." Kakashi turned to scan the room, but he came up with nothing. "I'll bring him so you two can meet.

"No. I don't want to meet him. Just show him to me when you find him."

Kakashi gave him a long, unreadable look. He didn't question it, for which Sasuke was grateful He couldn't tell his editor that the author of 'Whirlwind' was a couple of tips away from tying with him in ranking, but then again… Kakashi was a really good editor. He might have known that already.

Besides, his curiosity about the guy was a bit irrational. Seeing him wouldn't change that something had happened to improve his work lately. The only thing Sasuke could do was to keep an eye on the guy's work and make sure he stayed on top. But when Kakashi had said that all the authors would be at this party after the last two chapters of 'Whirlwind', he had felt compelled to check him out.

"Ah, there's Shikamaru Nara," Kakashi spoke, looking at someone so far away Sasuke couldn't distinguish him in the crowd.

"Where?" He wasn't really interested. Nara could only threaten his series if someone was pointing a gun to his head, making him draw. He was a mediocre artist. His stories were brilliant, though. They alone could push him to the top – but not when the artwork was so sloppily done it made it hard to follow those stories.

"He's leaning on the table with bingo prices, you see him? Asuma Sarutobi is his editor, they're talking with Ino Yamanaka right now."

Sasuke saw them. He had never met Ino Yamanaka either, but she looked so much like the heroine in her series, he could have easily picked her out. She was a decent artist, and her story – even though it was a slice of life love story – wasn't bad. Her characters were too weak, though.

"She's going to get canceled. Probably soon."

"Who is?"

They both turned at the sound of the voice. It was Sakura, the half time assistant Kakashi had gotten to work with Sasuke last year, when his manga got serialized. She was still working for him, three to four days a week. Her cheeks and her hands that were grasping a glass were red; she must have been outside without her coat.

"The author of 'The Language of Flowers', Ino Yamanaka."

"I hope not," Sakura sighed, looking into the direction they'd been looking before she showed up. "I love that series."

"You could do better."

"I've no time, Kakashi. I need to study."

Sasuke tuned them out. It was an old argument. Kakashi was trying to talk Sakura into attempting to do her own series. She was in med school and definitely couldn't do both. The assistant job was was to help her pay the tuition. It was her dream to be a doctor, but Kakashi thought that she was wasting her talent and should at least do a oneshot in her spare time.

But if she did decide to do it, she'd be better than Ino and definitely better than Shikamaru. Her art could never compete with Uzumaki's, but she was the type to have all aspects well balanced, so she'd beat him with good strategy instead of in art alone.

Of course, she'd never come anywhere near Sasuke.

Kakashi leaned over Sakura to touch Sasuke's shoulder briefly and point out, "There he is."

Sasuke turned toward person Kakashi had pointed out. He was standing next to the buffet table, sniffing a tea sandwich suspiciously and frowning. How Kakashi missed him when he had scanned the room before? It should have been impossible among all these people in their business suits, because the author of 'Whirlwind', Naruto Uzumaki, had come to the magazine's official New Year's party in a mostly orange jumpsuit. With his broomtop of garish blond hair on top of that, it should have been impossible to miss him in the crowd.

"Oh, were you looking for Naruto? I just met him, we were talking outside on the terrace," Sakura said, which explained her mild frost bites and Kakashi's inability to find Naruto. "He was coming on to me, I think. He was kind of cute."

Sasuke was listening to her but he couldn't stop staring. He'd expected someone younger, actually. The obvious lack of serious thought put into 'Whirlwind' suggested lack of experience and immaturity, and the series was riding on raw talent alone. This guy was about Sasuke's age.

"Of course, all he talks about are mangas," Sakura chatted on as Kakashi and Sasuke watched Naruto take a careful bite of his finger sandwich, looking for all the world like he was expecting poison – or a hidden bear trap at least. "I could never date someone like that. I like manga too, but there are other things to talk about."

"It's a good sign for me when a mangaka dedicates his whole life to manga."

"Well, obviously. You're an editor, you earn your living off them."

"Don't make it sound like my job is a joke," Kakashi protested Sakura's accusation. "Mangakas need editors, otherwise they'd never make their deadlines."

"I know that! Wait, did you just include me with them?"

"I always finish on time," Sasuke said, before the conversation became an argument. They were always at each other's throat. If they kept it up and it started interfering with his work, he would have to take matters into his own hands and rent them a hotel room for a night. "And you rarely have anything you want me to change."

"When I do have something I want you to change, you refuse," Kakashi answered. "I have a lot of experience so I could help you, but you won't let me. The truth is, it's really boring working with you. I'm kind of glad I got Naruto."

"What?" Sasuke hissed, turning toward Kakashi.

"Oh, didn't I tell you? Ebisu said he couldn't work with him and asked to be appointed to someone else. The chief editor gave Naruto to me instead."

"You didn't tell me _a thing._ When did this happen?"

If Kakashi was insulted by Sasuke's harsh tones, he didn't show it. But this wasn't a good thing. Kakashi was an excellent editor. He could provide some of the help Naruto needed to reach the top.

"About a month ago."

Naruto's ratings had been steadily growing in the last two or three weeks - just when the chapters Kakashi had been working on with him started coming out. That was what made Sasuke pay closer attention to him in the first place.

Sasuke opened his mouth, not sure what would come out. He felt angry – and eager to leave the stupid party, go home and see what he could do to make his own manga better.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, with something akin to a half smile on his face. His cheerfulness in the very moment Sasuke was feeling betrayed cut deep.

"Hey, Kakashi! Here, I came like I said I would – can I go home now? I have this amazing idea for how to start on the next chapter, and I want to do it right now!"

Kakashi smiled more openly at someone over Sasuke's shoulder, "But we haven't played bingo yet, Naruto. Better stay, you might get something interesting."

Sasuke turned slowly. In the crowd, he hadn't noticed Naruto approaching them. He was a bit taller than Sasuke. Just a little.

"I don't care about…" Naruto started impatiently, when he noticed Sasuke. "Oooh, I know you! You're the author of 'Kaleidoscope'! You're Sasuke Uchiha!"

The awe in Naruto's voice felt really good, but Sasuke was too upset with Kakashi for that to calm him down.

"There is no need to shout. Everyone here knows who I am already," he said as coldly as he could, faced with that bright, enthusiastic smile that was rapidly melting away. "The question is who are you?"

He could hear Sakura gasping in surprise behind him. He was usually colder with her than with most people. There had been signs that she had been crushing on him when they first started working together and he had to cut it off right away. If she was surprised, his response must have come off as low blow.

All traces of a smile disappeared from Naruto's face. He was rapidly getting very angry.

"My name," he pronounced every word carefully, in a high volume. "Is Naruto N-Uzumaki! I'm the author of 'Whirlwind'!"

There was a sort of authority in the way he said that. Like he knew, beyond a shadow of doubt, that no one could stay unaffected at the sound of his name. The blazing conviction would be enough to sway even those people who hadn't seen his art; it would make them stare, fascinated. Sasuke, who knew there wouldn't be many people who wouldn't be swept off their feet at the sound of Naruto's name if he kept improving, forgot to breathe for a second.

But this was about his career, too. He squashed the feeling, "Oh, that piece of crap?"

Naruto went red to the roots of his bright blond hair, "A piece of crap? A _piece of crap_? I've been ranking in the single digits for a month already!"

"I assume Kakashi was writing the story for you?"

Like a plug had been pulled, Naruto began shouting, "He's been giving me tips! All editors do that! It's my story and it's one hell of a story, too!"

"If your story was that good, you wouldn't need the help of your editor to get into the first ten."

"You're just scared I'm going to outrank you!"

That hit a little too close to home, but Sasuke effortlessly put on a mocking smirk, "You can only dream about that."

It was meant to set Naruto off even more, but the effect was exactly the opposite. He narrowed his eyes and raised his chin a little, "No, I can do it. I can outrank you. I'll work harder. I'll make my story better. I'll blow past you in no time."

Sasuke snarled at him, "Like I'm going to sit back and let you do that."

"Well, it wouldn't be any fun if you did, right?" Despite talking about it as if it were supposed to be fun, Naruto just looked dead serious, grim and determined. "I'm going home to work, Kakashi. I can't let this asshole keep beating me."

He was talking to Kakashi while still looking at Sasuke. They were staring at each other, but it didn't feel like a staring contest. More like a very careful mutual assessment. In the end, Naruto nodded – in acknowledgment, as if sealing a pact. Then he turned and walked away.

"Wow," Sakura said. "That was intense."

Intense? It was exciting. Sasuke could feel his heart hammering in his chest and ideas that were always looming about his consciousness all started digging their long nails into his brain at once.

"Well," Kakashi said. "That's Naruto for you. Sasuke, do you realize that he isn't the type to say something and then forget about it? He'll be breathing down your neck now. He will see you not as just another author out there in the sea, but as his rival. Someone he has to beat."

A rival, huh? That wasn't what Sasuke had come to the party for. He had wanted to check Naruto out, maybe find out why he had been getting better all of a sudden with his storytelling. It wasn't his intention to challenge him, to inspire him.

And he certainly hadn't come to get challenged and inspired himself, yet…

"Haven't I said it already? I'm not going to let him do that." Sasuke left the glass he was holding in his hand on a nearby banister, ignoring the looks Sakura and Kakashi were exchanging. "I'm going home."

They didn't say goodbye, but as Sasuke started walking away he heard Sakura saying, "The next issue is already in printing, right? But I'll be looking forward to the one that goes out after that."

There was just enough time for Sasuke to hear Kakashi's faint, "Me, too" before he was out of range. He sent a message to the chauffer the magazine appointed to him for the evening that they would be leaving and left the brightly lit, noisy hall.

Ideas on how to improve "Kaleidoscope" descended on him, overwhelming - as if the creative thunderstorm of the century were raging in his brain. He could barely focus on walking down the stairs. It had been so long since the last time he'd felt this way.

"Naruto Uzumaki, huh?" he whispered, his voice coming back to him in a jumbled echo in the empty stairwell.

* * *

"It can't go on like this."

Kakashi didn't need chief editor to invite him into his office to tell him that. He knew things were spinning out of control and that he was the one who had to put a stop to it. Though maybe while he was in the office already, he could get some help. He did have an idea or two.

"It's my fault, I'm afraid. I never thought a little rivalry would hurt anyone."

Danzou, the chief editor, frowned, "Both of their mangas have definitely reached another level lately. I don't see how 'Whirlwind' can ever tie with "Kaleidoscope' though, even with it ranking seventh and eighth consistently now."

"It can't. Naruto, I'm afraid, has written himself into a corner. Sooner or later, his ratings will drop."

"But how can Sasuke keep 'Whirlwind' in such high regard, then? Not even you think it can outrank "Kaleidoscope'."

"Sasuke doesn't care so much about 'Whirlwind'. But he can see how much Naruto has grown with it. Once the ratings drop and the series is canceled, Naruto will be able to start over again."

"I see. It's the potential that Sasuke can see in Naruto. It's not a rivalry of their series…"

"No, the rivalry is between the authors."

Danzou hummed thoughtfully, gazing over Kakashi's shoulder through the glass, where dozens of people were pretending to work while gossiping among themselves. He didn't want to do anything to drive off two of his best authors, but he couldn't let Naruto and Sasuke keep up the way they were going. Kakashi sympathized; he was feeling just as torn. Perhaps more so. Some of his colleagues were calling him on getting too attached, but he liked working that way. Investing emotion into work always produced the best results – and greater satisfaction.

"Still, this isn't the first time they fought in the editorial department. I can't allow them to continue with that. The previous time they even had a fistfight." Danzou frowned like the word tasted foul. "That isn't something people who work with their hands should ever do."

It wasn't much of a fistfight. True to their profession, they were both inexperienced and also a little clumsy. They had mostly rolled around on the freshly swept floor. Despite all of that, Kakashi couldn't help but enjoy the show. He wasn't known as resident pervert in their department for nothing, after all.

"I know. I've been thinking about what to do about it."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Only one," Kakashi admitted. Only one fully formed idea, anyway. "But it's risky."

"Tell me."

"I thought about making them do a oneshot." To make it clear, Kakashi added, "A collaboration."

"I don't see how that will help. They'll keep fighting and come up with nothing."

"Not if we put their professional pride on the line. I thought I'd tell them their contracts depend on its success."

"I don't want to lose them that way, either."

"We wouldn't really break their contracts over it, but I don't have to tell them that." Danzo didn't look convinced, so Kakashi elaborated. "For Naruto, the most important thing now is to beat Sasuke. He is desperate not to get canceled. And Sasuke wouldn't allow himself to get canceled, even though any magazine would accept him with open arms, because then he wouldn't be able to shove it in Naruto's face that he's still higher in rank every week. They will do anything to keep this up – even if it means working together."

"But we don't want them to keep it up."

There was a note of annoyance in Danzou's voice, but Kakashi persisted.

"No, we don't want them to fight all the time, but we do want them to keep the rivalry. It's what has made them grow and become so much better. There are significant benefits from it for our magazine as well." They had both set personal records selling out the last volumes of their respective series, both of which had been published after Kakashi had taken on Naruto. The chief editor had to know that Kakashi knew what was best for his mangakas. "But I thought making them spend a lot of time together would actually end up making their interaction less explosive – in the long run."

The sad part was that there wouldn't be any more rolling around on the ground. Unless the explosiveness of their rivalry transferred to other aspects of their relationship, but Kakashi was almost positive that Sasuke's foul moods and sharp tongue would not be an easy obstacles to overcome, even for Naruto.

"I see," Danzou allowed. "Do you think they could manage to do a oneshot while working on their series?"

"No," Kakashi admitted. "I'm hoping to get them to fight less, but they'll still fight a lot. They'll need to go on hiatus."

"Then there's no way. Think of something else."

"Like what, locking them in a room for 24 hours?" Kakashi tried his best to keep his temper under control, but he needed the chief to agree to this. He turned his words into a joke at the last second. "I thought about it, but it's apparently illegal."

"I can't put the both of them on hiatus," Danzou said, apparently deciding that it was for the best to ignore Kakashi's frustration. "Naruto is barely making the top ten as it is."

"I think that's precisely the reason to put him on a hiatus. He's spending all his time trying to artificially keep 'Whirlwind' alive and that's a waste. He can do better. He's learned a lot."

Danzou caught on, "You want to let the series die."

"Yes. He'll be better the next time. He will come up with series that won't rank below the fifth spot even when it's in the first half of a new arc."

"You believe in him."

"Yes," Kakashi answered easily. Naruto was a talent that came about once in a decade. Sasuke wouldn't admit it, but Naruto was easily more talented than him. "He just needs some careful guiding and a lot of space to let the advice sink in. I think I think I'm a much better match for him than Ebisu was."

Which was why he'd subtly encouraged Ebisu to ask for someone else. Kakashi had only worked with Sasuke, so the chances that he'd get Naruto had been high. He had decided he wanted to work with him on the very day the oneshot of 'Whirlwind' the series was later based on was out. Kakashi had brought a sample of the issue to Sasuke and would never forget the look on his face. He'd never seen such mixture of awe, jealousy and frustration in his life.

"Please don't talk that way about your colleagues," Danzou spoke, bringing him back to the conversation.

"I wasn't badmouthing him. Ebisu insists on strict discipline. He'd accomplish a miracle with someone like Shikamaru Nara."

"I think that if the author is good, there is no difference in who their editor is." Kakashi held his tongue. If that were the truth, Naruto would not have grown so much as soon as Ebisu asked to be transferred. "But it's true that you are very good at your job and have an excellent instinct. If we do this, 'Whirlwind' will definitely get canceled. What about "Kaleidoscope"?"

"The anime is starting in April. It will probably drop a notch, but it won't affect it in the long run. Besides, think about the oneshot they will work on."

"You mean the oneshot they will work on -_ if_ they can stop fighting long enough."

"They will stop fighting," Kakashi assured with conviction, trying not to take the cynicism personally. "And they will produce the greatest manga we've seen in years."

Danzou picked up a pen and looked through looked through some papers on his table. They were probably plans and schedules for the next issue – or he was just putting on a show of checking on things while thinking. Kakashi was never sure about the chief editor's motivations and feelings. It was unnerving.

"Alright then. I'll make the preparations for both their series to go on hiatus as of the week after the next one," Danzo finally agreed. "Of course, if this fails, you will be fired."

Kakashi wasn't very surprised. Danzo was ruthless when it came to the magazine. He had suggested the plan knowing that it would put his job on the line.

He nodded, "Of course."

"Go on, then. Break the news to your mangakas and finish other necessary preparations. Don't let them fight over simple things like where they're going to work and who is going to assist. Take all the decisions possible out of their hands and report back directly to me."

Dismissed, Kakashi left chief editor's office. There was a reason Danzo was the boss. The idea not to let Naruto and Sasuke make the decisions about simple things was a great one. It would save them at least a few days.

Maybe some would consider him insane …. But Kakashi couldn't wait to start this project, even with his job at risk.


	2. Arrangements and Associates

Beta'd by JellyBean12

A/N: Updates far quicker, see? But shorter. Yeah.

Sai is awkward. But fun.

* * *

**Make It or Break It**

Part II

Arrangements and Associates

* * *

Sai liked to listen to Naruto working. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was about watching Naruto, but it was just something he enjoyed. It wasn't that he liked Naruto especially. The guy was loud and always snapped at Sai when he talked. No one could deny that he had talent for drawing, but Sai found his series extremely boring and never missed a chance to say so.

But when Naruto was working, bent low over his desk, he was never completely silent. He would mutter the lines his characters were saying in the panel he was working on, mimic their expressions and try out sound effects. It was odd at first, but never as annoying as Sai would have expected that kind of childish behavior to be.

He was working on a rooftop a character of 'Whirlwind' was jumping off. Naruto hissed a warning and made the sounds of a car crashing just as the doorbell rang.

"Go 'way," Sai heard Naruto mutter. That was the only reaction he gave. The next noise he made was another sound effect, something scratchy and low.

The door opened without the visitor being invited in. Sai had no doubt it was Kakashi, Naruto's editor, who knew what Naruto was like and had started coming in on his own a long time ago. He glanced sideways toward the small hallway, anyway.

Kakashi wasn't alone. There was another guy behind him. He wasn't very tall, he had dark hair, and despite his attempt at nonchalance, his curiosity about Naruto's house was obvious.

"Hello, Naruto. Sai." Kakashi greeted cheerfully.

"Yo, Kakashi, look at this," Naruto said, lifting his eyes from his work with difficulty, "This is going to be… what the hell is that guy doing here?"

Curious about Naruto's reaction to the newcomer, Sai turned to face them properly. Naruto stood up behind his table and was pointing an accusatory finger in the direction of the guy behind Kakashi – who suddenly didn't look curious at all.

"Yes, Kakashi, what am I doing here?"

"I don't want him here!" Naruto protested without giving Kakashi time to explain. "He's, he's going to…"

He frowned and gave up on trying to name a horrible scenario about what the newcomer would do in his apartment. Kakashi used that chance to talk.

"I am Sasuke's editor as well, Naruto. I have business to talk with both of you."

Sai sat up straighter. He gave a second once over to the newcomer. It was Sasuke Uchiha. Sai wouldn't have bothered checking his manga out, but this guy was all Naruto talked about lately. He was constantly pointing things out and demanding Sai's opinion on Sasuke's work at least once a day.

There wasn't much to see, though. He was just another guy. He wasn't as talented as Naruto, but he was apparently ranked higher. He hadn't sounded all that interesting when Naruto was moaning about him, but looking at the two of them glaring at each other now, as Kakashi was trying to get them to sit around the coffee table, was interesting.

"Sai, please come here as well. This concerns you."

For the first time since he had walked inside, Sasuke Uchiha fixed his attention on Sai. It suddenly felt as if there were small poisonous snakes scrawling underneath his skin, especially in the forearms and shoulders. He didn't especially like this person, either.

Sai made his way across the room and sat down next to Naruto, so he could keep an eye on Sasuke on the opposite side of the table.

"Right, so we're sitting. What'd you bring him here for?"

"Sakura's due in half hour at my place. She'll be waiting in the hall until I get back."

"I contacted Sakura and gave her Naruto's address," Kakashi answered Sasuke first. "She will come straight here today."

"Who is this Sakura?"

Seeming startled by his words, all three of them turned to look at Sai. People did that a lot, usually telling him that he had no sense for when it was proper to say what. But he had only asked about a person they were talking about. He didn't know her, after all, so he couldn't be expected to follow the conversation without finding out.

"She's an assistant, like you. She usually works with Sasuke."

"Why did you tell her to come here, Kakashi? I need her today."

"No, you're not going to need her today – or not for what you think. Your series is going on hiatus."

"What?" Naruto jumped to his feet instantly, like Kakashi had said that _his_ series was going on hiatus.

"That's not possible," Sasuke said calmly, though Sai could see by the way he grasped the edges of Naruto's couch that he was actually upset. "It doesn't make any sense. My anime is starting in April and the rankings are excellent."

"Yeah, you can't put him on hiatus! I can't beat him if he's on hiatus!"

"Naruto…" Kakashi started, but Sasuke rudely snorted.

"That's the only way you _could _beat me." His own words seemed to have given Sasuke a clue, and he suddenly narrowed his eyes at Kakashi. "Actually, maybe that's why Kakashi is doing it. What are you doing, playing favorites?"

"He's not playing favorites! I don't need him to do that to beat you!" Naruto passionately shot in Sasuke's direction. Sai blinked and noticed for the first time that they were bending toward each other across the table. Naruto was practically looming over and Sasuke, instead of backing off with his personal space in jeopardy, was leaning forward from his sitting position.

Well, maybe Sasuke didn't mind people in his personal space. Sai had always thought that people were unreasonably twitchy about it.

He looked at Kakashi, who was sitting on the armrest next to Sasuke. He had a curious expression on his face, almost as if…. he was trying not to laugh?

"That's never going to happen," Sasuke said clearly, right to Naruto's face. "You can keep dreaming."

"He draws better than you, though." Like the first time he spoke, everyone turned to look at Sai. He ignored Naruto's half-confused, half-grateful look and Kakashi's raised eyebrow and faced Sasuke.

"He doesn't," Sasuke denied instantly. "And it's not just about drawing talent. You have to have a good story and you have to present it well through the panels."

"Naruto's story is boring," Sai shrugged his right shoulder. "It's getting too complicated. But he draws better than you."

"And who are you, anyway?"

"Oh!" Naruto dishonestly chuckled a bit. "Sorry, I forgot completely to introduce you! This is my assistant and friend, Sai – and Sai, this is Sasuke Uchiha, the author of 'Kaleidoscope.'"

"I've figured that out already," Sai answered, frowning. Kakashi had mentioned Sasuke's name, so of course he had recognized him. "He's all you've been talking about lately, so I recognized the name when Kakashi said it."

"I haven't been," Naruto muttered. He seemed to be talking to Sasuke, but he was answering what Sai said.

In order to defend his observation, Sai elaborated, "You have been. It's a bit tiring, but it usually makes your art better, so I don't mind. It's easier to work on the details when your work is of higher quality."

Naruto glared at him sideways, sitting back on the couch. He missed the satisfied smirk Sasuke flashed in his direction, but Sai caught it.

"Well, now that everyone's ego has been stroked," Kakashi spoke finally again. "Naruto – your series is on going on a hiatus as well."

Naruto, who had barely had the time to touch his ass to the couch, jumped to his feet again, "What? No, no way! Why?"

"What's going on, Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, with much more grace.

"Well, you are both on a hiatus for a month because…" Kakashi stretched the silence, smiling. He was about to deliver some very good news, there was no doubt about it. "You are going to do a oneshot together!"

Unlike his previous declaration, this was initially met with silence. Naruto's mouth dropped open as he stared at Kakashi before switching his focus to his co-author to be. Sasuke did approximately the same thing, only with his mouth closed.

Kakashi's smile had tricked him; this wasn't good news at all. Sai was confused. "They seem to fight a lot. How will they work together?"

"Well," Kakashi smiled, "that's not our problem, now is it? They have to find a way to work together because if they don't, their series will be canceled and their contracts broken."

"But…" Naruto said, looking stunned. "That's not fair. I don't think I can work with him. We'll never agree on anything!"

"He's bluffing," Sasuke told Naruto. They had been fighting just a few minutes ago, but Sai thought he sounded like he was reassuring Naruto. It was a little strange but he had no time to ponder it further, because Sasuke continued, "This is because we fought in the editorial department, isn't it? It's some sort of ploy to get us not to do it any longer? Point taken, now knock it off."

Kakashi shook his head, "Sorry, Sasuke. It's not that. The editor-in-chief was looking at your work and thought that if you joined forces, you could come up with something spectacular. But because you've been fighting so much, he felt we had to put some pressure on you. It's not a bluff."

"This is stupid. He's so… arrogant! How do you expect us to work together, when he'll just make fun of anything I suggest?"

"I'm not going to make fun of you if you suggest something that isn't stupid," Sasuke denied. "And who would draw anyway?"

"Naruto is better at drawing," Sai reminded them. They ignored him.

"He'd going to refuse to do mainstream!" Naruto complained. "He's going to insist on some boring, complicated story!"

"I doubt it can get any more complicated and boring than what you are doing now."

"Shut up, Sai! And stop saying that, my manga isn't boring – and it's the only manga you've ever read, so you wouldn't know the difference even if it was!"

"No, he's right," Sasuke agreed. "It's gotten so complicated, it's boring. All the themes you were trying to cover are losing their impact with the insane powerups your main character is getting."

"And you can't draw human hands for shit," Naruto shot back. He was right, too. "And you're too stupid to let an assistant do it for you because you're so arrogant!"

Sasuke glared at Naruto, but Sai felt those words didn't cover nearly enough of Sasuke's drawing flaws, so he added, "Actually, you can't draw human anatomy in general; hands are just the worst of it."

Sasuke's glare intensified and shifted to Sai, "And who the hell are you, again?"

Naruto beat Sai, saying, "Um, that's my assistant, Sai. Remember?"

He had correctly answered the question, but Sasuke turned back to glare at Naruto again, "Seriously? How can anyone be so fucking…"

"That is enough!"

At the sound of Kakashi's voice, all three of them fell silent. He hadn't raised his voice, but there was authority in his words. Authority was something Sai could easily recognize; it was simple. He waited to hear what Kakashi had to say.

"Let's try out an experiment, okay?" Kakashi said, softly. "Instead of shouting out what's bad, let's hear about what you think is good. Naruto, is there something you like about Sasuke's work?"

Sai was confused a little. He had been expecting an order. Kakashi had a weird way of using his authority. But he wanted to hear the answer as well.

Naruto looked away¸ fixing his frown at the cushion that was lying next to him. For awhile, it seemed like he would refuse to say anything. Kakashi waited patiently, just looking at him. Sasuke was also looking at him and he actually appeared a bit worried, which was strange after all that arrogance.

Finally, Naruto spoke, "Well, the story of 'Kaleidoscope' is a bit too dark for my taste. The idea of a children's toy with a pattern so fascinating it keeps you staring at it, forgetting to eat and sleep, until you die… But I like the way he tells it. I like how it feels like every panel is telling a story for itself, and how each panel is significant, even if it just shows scenery. I don't know how to make every panel perfect like that."

Thinking about it… Yes, Naruto was right. Every panel of Sasuke's manga was like an art piece on its own. Too bad his anatomy was so bad.

"Sasuke?' Kakashi prompted when Naruto's words were left hanging in the air for too long.

Naruto's eyes darted up to the left, as if shy. He was probably, like Sai, expecting Sasuke to say something nasty.

"He," Sasuke said clearly, not looking at anything in particular, "he's a better artist than I am."

"But we all knew that already."

"Shut up, Sai," Naruto snapped, though he was still staring at Sasuke. "It's not about what we know or don't know."

"But it's so obvious," Sai protested. He didn't feel it was very fair. Naruto had given serious thought to what he liked about Sasuke's work and in turn, he only got something everyone knew anyway.

"Sai…" Naruto started.

Sasuke cut in, "Fine. The original idea for "Whirlwind' was good - as far as mainstream stories go, anyway." For the first time since Kakashi came up with the idea to make them say what they liked about each other's work, Sasuke and Naruto were looking at each other instead of elsewhere. "You made a couple of mistakes early on, though. That's why you're struggling now."

"Yeah," Naruto sighed. "Kakashi said so, too. It's not like I can go back and fix it, so I have to work with what I have."

"Hmm," Kakashi mused, "This conversation is turning to be much more pleasant than I dared to hope. You could learn so much from one another. Sasuke, with someone to take over half of your work, you can concentrate more on your art. It's not that you lack the talent, after all, it's that you lack the time to focus on your art."

Sasuke nodded stiffly.

"Naruto, let Sasuke do the name," Kakashi advised. "And watch him carefully, because you can learn more about how he is laying out a story that way."

"Okay."

"I don't understand," Sai had to say, because he was losing the sense of the conversation. "Aren't you trying to beat each other?"

Naruto opened his mouth, but Sasuke answered for him, "It's harder to get better if the people you're competing against aren't getting better as well."

"…So you're fighting because you're trying to get better, not to beat each other?"

"No, it's like…" Naruto attempted to explain. "I can't beat him if I don't get better."

"But if he does get better, he might do better than me," Sasuke added.

And that was exactly the part Sai had problem understanding. "So don't help him get better."

"He's set on getting better anyway. This way, I'll know exactly where he's standing."

"But that means that you're lying and he can beat your rankings." Sai insisted.

Sasuke looked at Naruto, a look of mild confusion on his face. Naruto shrugged with an odd smile, "Yeah, he gets that way. Last week I spent three hours trying to explain why someone would hesitate to ask someone they like out, or open a very important letter. It's like fear of rejection is beyond him."

Three hours or not, Naruto certainly hadn't managed to convince him of anything.

"Apparently, the concept of rivalry is also beyond Sai, so we better let him get back to his work and start thinking about the story for the oneshot," Kakashi instructed with that authority back in his voice. "Sakura and Sai will assist you and you'll both be working here, at Naruto's."

"Why?" Sasuke protested. "My place is bigger."

"Yes, but this is closer for me. I'll be stopping by every day to check on your progress and Naruto's apartment is on my way."

Sai left them on the couch, heading toward the desk he had been working on before Kakashi and Sasuke arrived. He sat back to finish a large panel of Naruto's hero jumping off a building, listening with mild interest to the conversation behind him that occasionally jumped several octaves.

He hoped his bookstore had a decent selection on rivalry.

* * *

Part III - exchanging ideas. Bound to go well, right?


	3. Inspiration and Indecency

Beta'd by**: **JellyBean12

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**Make It or Break It**

Part III

Inspiration and Indecency

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It was impossible not to dart an occasional look at Sasuke. Naruto drew and sketched and doodled in his notebook, because he could only ever think with a pen in his hand. But no ideas for the oneshot came and his hands still felt itchy. Every so often, he felt a compulsion to turn and soak in the sight of Sasuke sitting at the windowsill for several seconds.

His hair gleamed with hints of red and yellow where the overly enthusiastic spring sunlight brushed it; his skin was pale like the paper in Naruto's hands, his nose so was straight and his mouth…

Naruto, who had known that it was useless from the beginning, turned to face the windows, and positioned his notebook better to let his pen catch the intense expression on Sasuke's face. It didn't matter, as long as he stayed that way, if there was an actual explosion of creativity blooming inside his head or if he just looked that way. There was an itch in Naruto's knuckles, something he had to let out if he were to function again. For a moment, it was more important than his pride.

Not that it was all that clear to him why wanting to draw Sasuke would have anything to do with pride. He drew people all the time - without fuss, without informing them about it, without being aware he was doing it. Still, he held the notebook as low as he could while his hand flew over the paper like a man possessed.

"Hmm."

As if caught red handed drawing porn, Naruto instinctively hugged his notebook closer. He glared up at Sai, who'd at some point approached so quietly he hadn't noticed.

"What?"

"I saw you drawing and wanted to see what had you so aroused."

"Arou…?" Naruto sputtered. "That can't be the word you were looking for. Inspired, you meant inspired."

Sai didn't usually have a problem with choosing the right words, only with choosing the time and opportunity to say them. He tilted his head, considering, "Alright. I came to see what inspired you to draw looking like a sexually stimulated teenager."

Naruto gaped, hugging his notebook even closer. "I'm just doodling, I think better when I'm doodling."

"Maybe you should doodle your manga, then," Sai advised, turning to get back to his desk. "Because that drawing is better than your standard."

Naruto glanced on the drawing he was working on. The style was realistic; no wonder Sai would think it was better. It was just a portrait, like many others he'd made. He'd caught the left side of Sasuke's face, with the sun blazing in his hair and his eyes closed in the shadow. If he tilted it sideways a little, it almost looked like Sasuke was sleeping…

"Are you even trying?"

For the second time, Naruto hugged his notebook to himself, startled. Sasuke was still sitting at the windowsill, though. His eyes were open now, glaring across the room at Naruto.

"Yes, I am," he snapped back. "And you, did you have a nice nap?"

"Don't be stupid, how would I nap sitting on a windowsill? I was thinking."

"Then did you think of something?"

Sasuke got off the windowsill, nodding seriously even though Naruto's sarcastic tone should have been impossible to miss, "I have a couple of ideas, yes."

Well, brilliant. He'd gotten a couple of ideas while Naruto had been drawing him instead of focusing and thinking. If those ideas were any good – and knowing Sasuke, they would be – then he was going to look like a moron.

Fighting annoyance, Naruto gritted out, "Great. Let's hear them."

Sasuke came to sit on the other side of the couch, opposite Naruto. It puzzled Naruto for a second until he noticed that Sai had seated himself on the opposite side of the coffee table. Naruto suppressed a chuckle. It looked like Sasuke already had an opportunity to experience Sai's blatant refusal to respect other people's personal space.

"Here," Sasuke said, offering an old newspaper he must have found lying around to Naruto. "Do you see that article I marked, the column of an economic analyst?"

Naruto glanced at the paper automatically. The title, underlined in red, said, 'Corporate barbarity: the future of the business world?'

"What's, um," Naruto glanced at the paper again, "corporate barbarity?"

"Some people are predicting it as the final stage of the aggressive competition between corporations. The theory is that if moral in business keeps dropping, they will end up stealing, maiming and killing each other for even the slightest advantage."

"Aren't they doing that already?"

Sasuke raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised – maybe by Naruto's cynicism. "Openly, I mean. Legally."

Naruto pushed the paper back to him, "That's too dark. I don't want to draw people killing each other to get promotions. Oh, unless – can they do it with giant clubs?"

"What?"

"You know, like we'd have a bunch of people in black suits, carrying around these big clubs – like cavemen – and hitting their competition on the head. That'd be funny, but still serious how you want it, right?"

"No," Sasuke snapped, looking a bit upset. "I don't want it to be funny."

"Come on, lots of people say serious stuff through comedy. And they have more readers that way."

"_No_."

"Besides," Sai cut in. "Carrying clubs around all day would tire people out and get in the way of doing paperwork."

"That's irrelevant," Sasuke said.

"But I agreed with you. It is a good idea – if there are no huge clubs involved."

Sasuke eyed him suspiciously, as if to check for a catch. Naruto sighed, giving up the idea of turning it into humor.

"Well, it's too dark for me. What else you got?"

"It's no use," Sasuke said, rubbing his eyes. "If you think that's too dark, you'll think everything else is, too. Do you have anything at all?"

"Well, I had the clubs, didn't I?"

"Anything that _isn't_ retarded?"

"He was busy drawing you," Sai answered before Naruto managed to spit out the series of insults that he had gathered on his tongue. "Maybe he will think of something when you're not around?"

"I was just _doodling_," Naruto snapped, feeling embarrassed even though every word was true. "I think better with a pen in my hand, that's all."

"But you looked like..."

Naruto, knowing exactly what was coming, got to his feet, "Will you shut up, already? Why do you keep saying stupid things?"

"He looked like what?"

Naruto turned, feeling betrayed and annoyed, to glare at Sasuke. "Don't encourage him."

Sai happily answered Sasuke, both of them ignoring Naruto, "Like a sexually stimulated teenager."

Sasuke didn't bother to suppress a snort and a smirk as he looked up at Naruto. It was so embarrassing. Naruto turned his notebook so Sasuke could see the drawing, "Here, it's just a stupid drawing. Does it look like I was se- stimulated like that while I was doing it?"

Sasuke leaned a bit closer. His smirk was slowly morphing into a real smile as he traced the lines on the paper with his eyes, obviously satisfied with how he turned out. If Naruto had any idea his simple portrait would get an expression that wasn't mocking or grouchy out of Sasuke, Naruto wouldn't have tried so hard to resist the temptation to draw him. He turned the notebook away from Sasuke to see it again himself.

"I didn't say that it was a pornographic work, only that…"

"Sai!" Naruto squeaked, startled. He didn't notice Sai standing up and slipping closer until he heard him talking –not an inch from Naruto's face. He leaned in the opposite direction so heavily he had to prop himself on the backrest over Sasuke's head to keep upright. "What are you doing? I've told you a hundred times, stop invading my personal space!"

"I was only trying to take another look at the picture."

"Next time, _ask_."

"But this is simpler and quicker."

"You can't do it!" Naruto insisted. "What if someone kept doing that to you?"

To demonstrate his point, Naruto straightened and then leaned toward Sai, until their noses were practically bumping, "Like this! What would you do if I kept…"

Sai grabbed his shoulders firmly. He kept Naruto in place as he inclined his head and kissed him straight on the mouth. For a shocked second, Naruto remained in that position, frozen, then he pushed himself violently away from Sai. He ended up falling back into the couch, bumping against Sasuke.

"The fuck, what the hell is _wrong_ with you?"

"You asked me what I would do if we were leaning toward each other like that."

"I didn't! That's not what I…" Naruto left the sentence unfinished; too breathless with shock to ramble on and not really sure what he was trying to say. "You can't just kiss people if they get a bit too close to you!"

"But that is a sign of attraction."

Lost for words, Naruto glanced behind him. Sasuke was following conversation with his lips thinned and hands on Naruto's arms, which was somehow comforting but not helpful.

"What sign of attraction?" Naruto finally decided to ask.

"Leaning toward each other subconsciously." Sai explained.

"But I wasn't doing it subconsciously! I was trying to prove a point! Damn it, Sai, where do you find that crap?"

"I read it in a magazine in the waiting room of my dentist's office."

"So what? You were getting in my face because, what, you thought it was a mating ritual of some sort? Were you – were you courting me or something?"

Absently, Naruto felt Sasuke's grip on his arms tighten. He tried to make himself more comfortable by leaning more of his weight against Sasuke to lessen the discomfort of that strong grip.

"No, most of the time, I'm just trying to see what you're working on."

"Most of the time?"

Sai, who had returned to take the seat across the coffee table, frowned, "I don't feel an attraction for you, Naruto - except when you make noises when you're working on your manga, but that isn't sexual."

"Right," Naruto muttered, starting to relax. "Good. So stop invading my personal space or doing stupid things like kissing me all of the sudden, alright?"

"I was only demonstrating what I would do, just like you were," Sai said, unconcerned. "The signs are only valid if they are unconscious. Like with you two."

"Wh – what?" Naruto stammered, feeling suddenly red in the face as he turned to glance at Sasuke over his shoulder. Sasuke looked as startled as he was.

"I moved away minutes ago, but you are still practically sitting in his lap. Considering how much you fight over even the slightest difference in opinion, you either don't mind it or are not even aware of how close you're sitting." Sai explained, narrowing his eyes in concentration. "It's even more than that – it's like you are upset over what I did and are seeking comfort and he's giving it to you by rubbing your arms."

Naruto gaped for a moment longer. Then Sasuke's hand fell from his forearm and he jumped away to the opposite side of the couch.

Calmly, Sasuke stood up, "This is a waste of my time."

He walked away, grabbed his jacket and threw over his shoulder, "I'll stop by tomorrow, you'd better have something we can discuss by then."

Naruto and Sai sat in silence after the door closed only slightly louder than it did usually.

"Did I say something wrong?" Sai wondered after several minutes.

"Go work on something, Sai," Naruto mumbled.

He was uncomfortable. Was Sai right? He really had no reason to stay in that position, against Sasuke for so long. And why hadn't Sasuke made a fuss about it, anyway?

It was all so embarrassing. And he really had nothing to show for the day, not a single interesting idea.

As Sai went back to the assistant desk, Naruto turned the page in his notebook and started doodling and thinking seriously.

tbc

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A/N: A few people commented how this story is developing very quickly, so I'd like to remind you that it was written as a oneshot. Which is also why the parts are so short.


	4. Imagination and Ideas

A/N: Yes, well, you know how I said this should be updated more or less regularly? I sort of failed to take into consideration the busy schedule of my beta. ^^'

But of course she came through, so I hope you enjoy the chapter.

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**Make It or Break It**

Part IV

Imagination and Ideas

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The doorbell rang. Naruto put away his pen immediately. He had an entire speech prepared; he had to apologize if Sasuke and him were ever to try working together again. They had made an attempt the previous day to think of a plot, but… It was only worse without Sai around. It was so awkward, Sasuke left after less than half an hour. Naruto didn't even try to stop him, even though he did have ideas. The speech he had prepared to go with the apology contained some not too nice things about Sai, but Naruto didn't feel too guilty about that. The sooner he felt better about the entire thing, the sooner they could move on.

He wiped his sweaty hands on his jumpsuit and opened the door.

But it wasn't Sasuke.

"Hi!" Sakura said, flushed from the cold, peering at him from under a large hand-knitted hat. "Do you mind? I came to check on how you guys are progressing."

Relieved, Naruto grinned, "Sure, come on in. I'm alone right now, but Sasuke should stop by soon."

She took off her long red scarf, the hat and the coat and left it all on the hanger behind the door.

"It's snowing outside, so it's not too cold. It's wet and slippery, though - but I had to get out of my dorm room. My roommate brought her boyfriend over and they were making so much noise I couldn't study," Sakura chatted on. "And you guys? Did you come up with anything?"

Naruto led her to the two couches and the coffee table in the center of the room.

"No, nothing," he told her. "Sasuke had an idea the other day, but I didn't agree with it. It was too depressing."

Sakura grimaced, "He has a knack for dark stories. That's probably one of the reasons why the editors want you to work with each other; they're hoping some of your cheerfulness will rub off on him."

Naruto, ignoring the mental image as best as he could, muttered, "Wouldn't count on it."

Sakura shrugged, "Well, even if it's only for this oneshot, it's going to be a nice change. I'd love to see him happy, you know? With his family and everything."

Naruto didn't know anything about Sasuke's family. He was intrigued.

"What about his family?"

"Don't you know? They practically disowned him when he told them he had decided to draw manga for a living."

"_What?_" What kind of stupid people were they, anyway? "They disowned him over _that_? What would they do if he, I don't know, raped girls and ended up in jail or something?"

"Cover it up, most likely," Sakura muttered. "I've only heard about them, but they are one of those fairly wealthy, strict families."

"So, it's like he doesn't have a family at all?" Naruto questioned. He could be sympathetic over that; he didn't have a family, either. It had always been that way for him. Was it harder or easier if you did have a family and then… they disowned you?

"His brother always calls. I don't think Sasuke ever answers, though. I was there a bunch of times; he just lets the machine pick up. And from what his brother says, I really don't think Sasuke calls him back."

"But why?"

"Who knows? Maybe he doesn't want his brother to get into trouble with their father for talking to Sasuke. Or he might be upset with him, I don't know." Sakura sank deeper into the cushions, musing, "I used to think that was why he was so bent on being the best. I thought he worked so hard because he wanted to prove to his family that he made the right choice when he chose manga over them. But after this thing with you… I guess he was competitive to begin with."

"What thing with me?"

"You know, the entire rivalry thing."

"That just happened. He has to stay on top to show his family up, and I guess I was starting to improve, so I was a threat."

"Just a potential threat," Sakura dismissed it, then smiled apologetically. Naruto returned the smile, because he wasn't really insulted and she continued, "You became an actual threat only after you two met."

Naruto really hated remembering that meeting, at the New Year's party. Sasuke'd been so rude and hurtful. And Naruto had been so excited to meet him. He'd meant what he said, 'Kaleidoscope' was too dark for his taste. But he loved the series anyway and he admired Sasuke so much. It was like he was on some sort of pedestal Naruto couldn't reach but wanted to desperately.

"Well, I had to work harder after I declared that I'd beat him," Naruto said, looking away from Sakura. "It's one thing not to know someone or not to like their work, but he was just so _rude_ about it."

"Hmm." Sakura looked thoughtful, gazing at him with her eyes narrowed for a bit. "But he did know who you were."

"He did?"

Sakura's smile turned wicked. She leaned in, like she was giving away an important, juicy secret and whispered, "Kakashi told me he went to that party just so he could meet you."

"Oh." Well.

Sakura leaned back, "And I know better than anyone that he can be a right bastard. I've been working as his assistant for about a year but the way he acted that night… That was too much, even for him. He doesn't usually lie, but he lied right to your face that he didn't know who you were. I don't know if it was conscious or not, but I think he went there that night to challenge you. He wanted someone to compete against and he chose you."

So it was an act. That horrible, hurtful conversation, it was all an act. Not just any act, but an act designed to make Naruto want to become better and compete. Like Sasuke came off his pedestal just so he could grab Naruto by the collar and yank him upward.

And he succeeded, right? Naruto did get better, because Sasuke… chose him?

Right. That just couldn't have been a conscious decision.

"Uf, maybe we better not tell him you told me this?"

Sakura laughed, "If that's what you want."

"I do," Naruto decided. "Hey, do you want something to drink?"

"Sure, I…" Sakura started, but was interrupted by the doorbell. "Sasuke? Wow, what timing."

Naruto grinned, standing up, "If I haven't tried that and failed, I'd be sure he was listening from the other side of the door."

Feeling immensely better after the conversation with Sakura, Naruto made his way to the door. He was practically bouncing off the floor. Bastard or not, Sasuke thought he was good enough to be his rival and Naruto had to prove him right. Being a disappointment – like he had been until now – was not an option.

He yanked the door opened, grin in place, "Hello!"

Sasuke eyed him with suspicion, "Hey."

"Come on in, I was just about to get Sakura something to drink."

Sasuke, in the middle of taking off his dark gray scarf, frowned, "Sakura is here?"

"Yep, she came to check how we were doing. Isn't that nice?"

"She's not being nice, she needs money."

"What?"

"Why do you think she's assisting part time while studying? It certainly doesn't reflect well on her needs the money and every day we waste is costing her meals or whatever else she needs it for."

"It's still nice of her to come here and ask about the progress. It's not like it'll change anything, so she's not doing it for any selfish reasons," Naruto insisted. "And anyway, then we have to hurry. I don't want anyone starving because of me."

Sasuke hung his jacket next to Sakura's coat, so Naruto turned to lead him into the leaving room. From behind, he heard, "I wasn't being literal."

They were within Sakura's earshot, so Naruto didn't answer.

"Hi," Sakura smiled at Sasuke and stood up. "I guess I should get going, you're going to work now."

"Oh, you don't have to…" Naruto started, but she waved him off. He was more comfortable with her there, though.

She grabbed her bag from where it was resting next to her. Sasuke noticed it.

"You can study here, if you want," he offered, like Naruto's apartment was his own. "I can't promise we'll be quiet, though."

Sakura hesitated, torn. "I don't know. How loud are you usually? Maybe I'll be better off in the library."

"Very loud," Sasuke admitted. "But you're always cold in the library."

Sakura noticed Naruto's confusion. "Sasuke often lets me stay after I finish my work to study at his place, because my roommate is… well, our room is really not a good place to study."

"You can use my bedroom, if you want. The walls are thick, there's no way you'd hear us – unless we start shouting or something." Naruto offered. He wasn't all that bookish, but he knew from experience how horrible it was when you had no place to work. "The cleaning lady was in yesterday, so it's not filthy or anything."

"Your bedroom?" Sasuke said. He sounded disgusted.

Naruto flushed, "Well, it's the only other room I have, aside from the bathroom and the kitchenette. It's not like I'm gonna go in when she's in there, and you'll be here, too."

Sakura laughed, "It's not my virtue he's upset about, Naruto. I'd really like that, I have to study and my feet get so cold in the library during the winter. They do heat it up and all, so usually students don't have a problem but…"

Naruto smiled, grateful that she was staying, even if in another room, "I don't get cold that easily. Or warm, for that matter. The foster families didn't like me for a lot of things, but they all agreed that I wasn't fussy about those kinds of things. It's right there, next to that framed drawing of the Kraken."

Sakura stopped by the picture to take a better look, with one hand on the doorknob of his bedroom, "Not quite your usual standard, is it?"

"Well, of course not. I was only twelve when I drew it."

Sakura disappeared into the room, smiling. Naruto turned around to face Sasuke, who was sitting comfortably on the couch, in the same spot he sat that day Sai kissed Naruto. Actually, thinking back, he sat there yesterday, too. It was apparently his place. Naruto kinda liked Sasuke having a place of his own in Naruto's apartment.

He kneeled on the thick carpet next to the coffee table. He set the notebook he always carried with him next to him on the coffee table.

"Did you think of anything? Because yesterday was a complete waste of time."

"I had ideas yesterday, too!" Naruto protested. "You stormed off after barely a minute!"

"It was much longer than a minute and you gave no sign that you were about to say anything relevant at all."

Because it had been so awkward. Naruto took a breath.

"Yeah, I have ideas but, um, before that…. Sorry."

That certainly wasn't the speech Naruto had prepared. But it was an apology. It would do.

Naruto glanced up from the table to find Sasuke frowning, "What are you sorry about?"

Great, he'd have to do the speech after all.

"Ah – you know, the thing with Sai, when he said those stupid things and kissed me. It just felt – out of reach. Being closer to someone else, I mean."

"That."

Annoyed at the lack of acknowledgment for his apology, Naruto grumbled, "That isn't exactly apology accepted."

"Because you have nothing to apologize for, you moron," Sasuke said. "Now stop wasting time and tell me what you have."

Well, whatever.

"Fine," Naruto snapped. They were doing better than the previous day already. That didn't mean he appreciated being called a moron. "We never agreed on a genre, though. 'Kaleidoscope' is like some supernatural drama, I guess, so that suits you, right?"

"Anything. I don't care about genre, as long as…"

"I sense some form of 'stupid' coming out of your mouth next, so let's skip it." Naruto loudly interrupted. Sasuke smirked so he rolled his eyes and continued, "Right. A really ungrateful, whiny guy gets stuck in a weird place and learns how to appreciate his family and friends while struggling to find a way home."

"What?" Sasuke asked, puzzled.

Naruto sighed. He was uncharacteristically nervous. That might have come out a little bit too fast and muddled up.

"Like, the main character, he's this whiny, spoilt brat. He thinks his parents are overprotective so he fights with them, he thinks his friends are boring and stupid – you know, like he has everything a teenage boy should want – maybe even a cute girl that likes him. But he's so ungrateful and always finds some stupid little thing to complain about."

Naruto stopped to take a breath.

"And then something happens – a dream, I think. He gets stuck in a horrible place and can't find his way out."

"Something like Alice in Wonderland?"

"Oh," Naruto said, disappointed. He had liked that idea. "I guess so, I didn't think of it. Never mind then."

"Many stories have similar concepts. Tell me more."

"Well…" Naruto stretched his arms, a bit suspicious. But Sasuke would simply tell him straight away if he thought that the idea was crap, right? "I don't know where he'd get stuck in that dream, exactly – but something darkish and heavy and depressing, so he'd feel really bad and people reading would feel bad for him. He gets hungry, but he tossed away the food his mom made him that morning because it wasn't his favorite and the longer he's hungry, the more he regrets treating his mom like that."

"His way out is through his family and friends," Sasuke said. Naruto frowned in confusion, but he was ignored. "Or it would have been, if he knew how to appreciate them. If he was grateful to his mother for the food she made him, he wouldn't be hungry. We can think of other obstacles, like… You mentioned he thinks his friends are stupid and boring? He comes across a door with a riddle based on prime numbers."

"What?" Naruto questioned, but Sasuke didn't seem to even have heard him.

"His 'boring' friend was trying to talk to him about that exact thing earlier, but he didn't want to listen. If he had, the puzzle would have been easy to figure out. Because he dissed his friend, he has to spend many hours on getting through those doors."

"Um, alright – as long as I don't have to think of any puzzles." Sasuke gave him a dry look but he didn't comment. "But maybe it is too much like Alice in Wonderland. I didn't mean to be a copycat."

"There are hundreds of stories that are based around a dream or dreams. I can't remember anything that uses a dream to teach someone a lesson and in Alice in Wonderland right now."

"Alright, so do you want to hear more ideas?" Naruto asked.

"What for? This is good enough." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him, "Much more serious than I expected from you, though."

"It's not that serious. There are places for some jokes – _a dog_!"

"What?"

"He's annoyed with his dog because it keeps bringing him all kinds of things, other people's slippers, and newspapers and whatnot – but when he's stuck in that dream place, he needs something and he can't reach it, it'd be perfect if only his faithful, kind dog was there to fetch it but…"

"…He kicked the dog that morning and no one has seen it since."

"Well, he doesn't really have to _kick it_," Naruto grumbled.

"It can reappear the next morning, at the end of the story," Sasuke continued, ignoring him. "I'm not that easy to distract, though. A few jokes or not, that was more serious than I expected."

"I just figured you'd toss it aside otherwise," Naruto admitted. "Like I did when I thought your story was too depressing. What would be the point of thinking up all these funny ideas when I knew you'd never agree?"

"How uncharacteristically perceptive."

Naruto scoffed, "Like you'd know what's uncharacteristic for me." Sure, he wasn't as smart as Sasuke and Sakura – or even Sai, but it was unpleasant for people to constantly underestimate him or write him off like that. Suppressing his annoyance, Naruto added, "I never thought that you'd agree to do a story I thought of."

"I'm going to do the storyboard, the dialog and half the artwork. You have to have credit for something, otherwise it's not collaboration. You'd just be an overpaid assistant." Sasuke stood up. "I should start on the storyboard and you start with the character design. Alright?"

"But… You can't go now. Kakashi said we work here."

Sasuke gave him a confused glance, "I can't work on a coffee table; I was going to your assistant's desk."

"Oh. Well, better take mine, the light is better. I can work here on the designs."

Sasuke accepted with a nod. He sat at Naruto's table like he belonged there. The picture was ruined some when he had to start going though things to find what he needed, though. Naruto went to help him.

After that, they both settled down to the sounds of pens on paper.


	5. Intruding and Interpreting

Special thanks to Fallen-Nara

* * *

**Make it or Break it**

Part V

**Intruding and Interpreting**

* * *

Kakashi loved the idea – not that he said so. He did tell them that his father had kept asking him to go fishing with him when he was a kid, but he had thought it was a ridiculous hobby and never agreed. Later, he regretted it when his father died. While Naruto told him he was sorry and tried to look apologetic he stirred that kind of sad memories with his story, Sasuke went to make corrections on the Name.

It was approved immediately by the chief editor himself. Sakura said it was really good and Sai, even though he couldn't understand why would they want the profound experience to be just a dream when it could be less ambiguous, approved of Naruto's decision to use a style that was more realistic than his usual.

They started on actual drawing with more than three weeks left to the deadline. Things were going much better than anyone expected – though Naruto and Sasuke, of course, kept fighting.

* * *

OIOIO

* * *

Exactly one week after Kakashi brought Sasuke to Naruto's apartment and told them they had to work together or else, they were interrupted in the middle of the morning by scratching and banging sounds from the upstairs. Sakura went to investigate. It turned out that the neighbors were moving out. They tried to ignore the noise – Naruto didn't mindit very much in the beginning. Eventually, the irritation of the others got to him. They picked up the pages they were working on that day and moved to Sasuke's apartment to finish them.

As Sakura went right on to make herself comfortable and Sai cocked his head to the side as he examined a picture hanging across the hall, Naruto curiously glanced around. There was a distinct lack of brightness in the furniture. All colors – mostly shades of blue, really - were dark and rich and somehow exactly what he was expecting to find at Sasuke's home.

Sasuke noticed his curiosity and raised an eyebrow in question, as if actually interested about his impression. Naruto grinned, "Looks colder than it is – ever thought about throwing around a couple of orange cushions?"

"Or a picture that makes sense?" Sai added from behind Naruto.

"No," Sasuke said. He didn't clear it up, but it was likely he was answering both of them.

"I understand that this to the left is a head – human head – but what is it with that lower part? I don't see anything," Sai went right on expressing his confusion.

Naruto glanced at the picture in question. It was an abstract, an explosion of shapes and colors. He breathed, "Oh."

"Maybe someone spilled paint on it," Sai guessed.

Sasuke gave Sai an annoyed glare over Naruto's shoulder, but Naruto was too busy looking at the picture to remind him that Sai was simply weird and should be left alone.

"It looks like – an ocean," he decided. "The whites…"

"It's _green_ below those white splashes," Sai interrupted. "And angular."

It still reminded Naruto of an ocean, but he tried to see the angles and take color in consideration. "A fire, then. Wildfire, spreading fast…."

"Are you color blind? It's _green_," Sai insisted. "If it could possibly be anything in nature it's be a forest. And clouds above."

Well, now when he said it, Naruto could see that, too. "Oh, yeah. Like treetops swaying in the wind."

Sai walked past him, throwing him a look that clearly said that he was done trying to make Naruto see sense. That puzzled Naruto – they just agreed, as far as he could tell. He opened his mouth to say just that when he caught the look on Sasuke's face. He was frowning deeply at the picture.

"Don't mind him," he decided to say instead. "It's a nice picture."

Well, the color in it was brightening the place up. And it wasn't exactly ugly, just a little odd. It was strange how every time Naruto tried to look at it he saw something different.

"It's not that," Sasuke said quietly. Sai was already sitting on the other side of the desk Sakura was at. They were too far away to mistake him talking to them, but Sasuke kept his voice low anyway. "That's one of my grandfather's paintings. He was a little – odd."

Not sure what Sasuke was aiming at, Naruto tried to give him sympathetic look. "We all have – odd ones. In family. I probably had someone odd, too."

A corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched, in annoyance or amusement. He ignored Naruto's attempt to comfort him, "That painting is called 'The Elements'. I've never managed to see anything but a splash of color and vague shape of human face in one corner."

"Well, it is a splash of color with a vague shape of human face in one corner," Naruto answered, even more confused now. "It's an abstract, not an optical play with real pictures hiding underneath."

Sasuke looked away from the painting. "Your first impression was that it represented an ocean."

Despite Sai's insistence on color, Naruto could still see an ocean in the shapes. He shrugged, a gesture all but spelling out 'so what?'

"Your second impression was that it represented fire," Sasuke said slowly, like it proved a point he was trying to make. "And even Sai suggested that it could be a forest – treetops swaying in the wind."

"Oh," Naruto caught on. "The elements – we really did see the elements in that picture! That's brilliant – your grandfather is – was? – brilliant!"

Sasuke shook his head and gestured Naruto to step deeper into the room, toward the working desks. Naruto walked there still glancing occasionally at the picture. He was not a fan of abstract art, the sole reason he was even attempting to dispatch it was because he was used to somehow bridge over between Sai's incomprehension and Sasuke's impatience. But he got it right – and Sasuke's grandfather was brilliant for making a painting like that.

"My grandfather," Sasuke said, still in that quiet, confidential tone as he followed Naruto closely across the room. "had once painted a weasel and called the painting 'The Moon'."

That startled a laugh from Naruto. Sai and Sakura glanced from the papers they were going through, preparing to work. Sakura had a confused half-smile and Naruto winked at her.

Sasuke nodded toward the only chair at the huge, beautiful, perfect desk made from dark wood, indicating that Naruto should sit there and finished, "So I never bothered looking for elements in this one."

Naruto gave a final glance to the painting while opening the folder he'd brought with him. "Well, the color would go well with your furniture even if there wasn't an ocean and stuff there."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the drawing Naruto took out, dismissing the conversation, "You're almost done with that one? Next is the spread."

He dragged a chair from another room, and sat at the corner of the desk, to Naruto's left. They easily fell into a light argument over details.

Some hours later, when Naruto was already getting grumpy with the constant criticism and hunger, the phone rang. Sasuke stiffened so suddenly and completely, Naruto had no problems detecting it, even though there was almost two feet of space between them.

"Damn it," he swore, so softly it was barely audible.

"What?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke glared at him like he was the one calling in the middle of work.

"You distracted me with the stupid painting."

"What?" Naruto repeated, feeling rather lost. It was just the phone ringing. Sasuke was acting like he was about to be trialed for murder. "I didn't do anything!"

"Aren't you going to," Sakura spoke hesitantly when the phone rang for the third time, "er, pick up?"

But the machine had already picked up the call. Sasuke's clear, taped voice demanded for the caller to identify themselves and leave their contact information.

Naruto looked away from Sasuke's annoyed expression to Sakura's worried face. What was it that she told him the other day? His brother keeps calling. And Sasuke is not calling him back.

The signal announced the beginning of the message. A voice – lower than Sasuke's, just as smooth but somehow softer – called, "Sasuke?"

No one made a sound. Naruto glanced at Sakura as Sasuke's brother waited. She was keeping her head low but she wasn't inking. Sai seemed oblivious to the mood in the room as he eyed critically a portion of the paper in front of him.

If Sasuke's brother was thrown off by the lack of response, he didn't show it.

"There was an announcement that you are on a hiatus. I think I will call the editorial department to see what is that all about, as you are obviously not inclined to dispel my concerns."

Naruto looked at Sasuke. He was pale and looking at the machine, but there was no sign that he was going to go over there and pick up.

"I hope you aren't sick." Sasuke's brother continued in an even voice. He was obviously not expecting an answer… But he was calling anyway. Often, if Sakura was right. That was… It was really nice of him.

Well, if Sasuke couldn't be bothered to talk to his brother, there was nothing to stop Naruto.

He got off his chair and to the phone quickly. No one had the time to react before he reached and picked up the phone, interrupting Sasuke's brother in the middle of the sentence he wasn't even listening.

"Hallo?" he said, catching Sasuke's eye across the room.

He expected anger. The open mouthed surprise and… _envy_ were the farthest away from it possible. Like he wanted to jump across the room and grab the phone from Naruto. And maybe eat it.

"Who is that?" Sasuke's brother asked after a second of hesitation.

"Hi, my name is Naruto," Naruto cheerfully introduced himself. "Um, sorry if I startled you, but… Sasuke's in the bathroom and I thought he wouldn't want to miss out the call."

Well, that was lame. The machine was picking up.

Sasuke's brother smoothly stepped over Naruto's clumsy lie, "Are you my brother's lover?"

For a moment, Naruto's throat closed up, making him produce a horrible, undignified noise. He was still looking at Sasuke and the horror reflected there made it clear Sasuke had no problems deducing what his brother was asking.

"A," Naruto managed, "A coworker, actually."

"An assistant?"

That sparked Naruto's pride back to life and he regained his composure, "No, I have my own manga. I used to assist, but not for a while now."

"Naruto, you said? Naruto Uzumaki, then."

Pleased, Naruto smiled, "Yeah. And what's your name?"

"Itachi. Uchiha."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Is my brother around?"

Naruto raised his eyebrow at Sasuke, whose face was so flat again it might have as well been a drawing. "Um. In the bathroom?"

He made it sound like a question, but Sasuke failed to show any reaction. He certainly wasn't coming any closer to talk to his brother.

"Is he alright?" Itachi asked next, disregarding the obvious lie again.

Taking it as seriously as possible in such an odd moment, Naruto scanned Sasuke's face. "A bit tired and seriously bitchy today, and I suspect planning to strangle me later, but fine in general."

Itachi exhaled on the other side. It sounded like relief. Like he didn't really dare to believe that Sasuke was alright until Naruto flat out said so.

"If you're not an assistant, then what are you working on together?"

"Oh, it's a oneshot the editors wanted us to do together. Punishment, I think. For fighting." Naruto frowned. "Each other, I mean. We kinda fight all the time."

"For fighting? You were fighting so they made you work together?"

"Yeah, really stupid, right? But it's actually going fine."

"It still seems like an odd solution."

"Yeah, our editor is a weirdo," Naruto cheerfully chatted. He adjusted to Sasuke's odd behavior by then and he actually enjoyed talking to his brother. "A pervert, really. He's always trying to make me put more boobs in my manga. He actually said that my ratings went up because of it, can you believe it?"

"I certainly can't believe your ratings would drop because of it."

"Yes," Naruto rolled his eyes. "But they didn't jump_ just _because of it. They went up because my manga is wicked cool. Because I got better. Not because of – boobs." Which reminded him, "Hey, how come Kakashi never makes Sasuke do that?"

He was talking into the phone, but he looked around the room with wide eyes. How come he never noticed that before? Sakura snorted in answer, Sai didn't seem to have heard and Sasuke… well, he still looked pale and blank.

Itachi was the best conversationalist of them all, after all. He answered, "Sasuke is not easy to bully into something he doesn't want to do. Maybe Kakashi tried and failed."

"Maybe," Naruto allowed.

"Thank you for answering, Naruto." Itachi said next, wrapping up the conversation. "My brother is very stubborn and I'm glad I got to hear more about what he's up to, even second handed."

"Er, right," Naruto awkwardly shifted. "You're welcome."

"Goodbye, then."

"Bye."

Naruto let the phone down, suddenly self-conscious in the quiet room. For some reason, he expected an explosion. Nothing happened. Sasuke simply shifted his weird gaze from Naruto to the paper spread before him on the desk.

After a second of hesitation, Naruto walked back to his chair. Sakura's worried look was heavy on him. He sat down, carefully following Sasuke's hand as it moved stiffly over the paper. He bit his lip. Sasuke's hand was moving all wrong, rigid and quick. Should he point out that the work they've been doing all day was in danger?

Tentatively, Naruto attempted, "Sasuke?"

"Shut up and do your part or…"

Sasuke didn't finish. He didn't look up. And he was obviously very angry.

Naruto was still trying to make up his mind, but soon he realized that Sasuke wasn't making any damage. He wasn't even working, not really. He just made a good show of it while simply going over finished lines.

* * *

tbc.

He relaxed a little. Worked up or not, Sasuke was a professional.


End file.
